Builder Resources

I scored a Garmin 196 GPS today off the VAF classifieds. I have been looking for a handheld aviation GPS for a few weeks to supplement the crappy VOR receiver in the Citabria I rent. Normally I wouldn't care about not having a GPS onboard, but with the ADIZ around me, I feel like its a cheap insurance policy.

I worked on the seating ribs tonight. The inner 4 ribs need to be modified by having a 1.5" hold cut out using a prepunched hole as a pilot. I had a 1" and 1.125" hole saw which wouldn't do, so I needed to whip out one of my least favorite tools - the fly cutter.

Voila......4 ribs with the holes cut in them.

Next I drew some lines from the new holes to the existing ones.

Using a dremel with a cutoff wheel and a little filing, I was left with the perfect cutout. For two of these ribs, this is all that was needed. The other two need a little more work.

I match drilled the F-716B's to the F-716-R/L ribs and worked the outer two holes up to a #19 hole for #8 screws.

Next I cutout part of the rib. This is removable so the control linkage can be installed. I used the dremel again with the cutoff wheel to make the cuts thin and without any distortion.

The cutout clecoed back onto the rib. Sweet!

I had grad illusions of getting the whole center fuselage clecoed together tonight. After all, what else did I have to do? Well, after looking at the seat ribs, I needed to square all of the flanges. Next I realized I needed to flute them also. I spent way too much time trying to get through that tonight. I still have some more ribs to flute, but thats the easy part in my book. I also am going to hit up prepping the baggage ribs before I put this mess together.